Dominican Republic. The Bombay.

ohhh heyyyy. remember how it's been 6 months since i've blogged? yeah..... more has happened in these past few months than probably in the last 4 years.
but I'll just start with where i left off... and catch you up in time... hopefully....

so, we didn't totally know quite how this trip was going to come together, you see, we've never really been on a friends only trip (at least not out of the country) where we have to plan and execute everything...... on our own.....
we're babies, right?
well, i feel like it was kind of thrown together and not every detail was planned, but that kind of made it perfect.
in fact, as it turned out, we didnt need to plan out hardly anything because we literally laid on the beach, went on walks, laid by the pool and ate theentiretime.
IT WAS AWESOME. guys.

the place we decided on to stay turned out BEYOND perfect (right on the beach, way nice pool, fab security guys watching your stuff on the beach while we went on walks or to lunch, basically only 5 other people staying at the entire place - and it was big... just to name a few). we seriously lucked out.

other perfect things about the trip.
um.... we were with our besties. at this point in my life, it was so stupid how much time ali and i were spending with each other. just to give you a little insight into our life... we worked together, went to the gym together right after work, trained for a half marathon, usually, like, went shopping together or something one of the nights... i think we ewre starting to turn into each other. which is already a problem for people because they think we are sisters. even though we could not be more opposite, looks-wise. guys it was getting ridiculous. but i loved everything about it.
I know this is a serious side note... but i dont get sick of my friends. i could spend 8 hours a day with the girl and then call her on my way home from work to tell her something and then still want to hang out with the two of them that night or on a weekend. but i think this worked for us because we know each other probbbbbably even better than our husbands know us. we know each others moods and how to handle each other. which is important. but we somehow think each other is the funniest person ever in the world (it's sometimes amazing how i put sentences together. it's like i'm in second grade).
sorry, im not married to her.
hi zach.

people were seriously concerned about us when i left neutron and we had to break up for a second (during the day only). dont worry. we still communicate way more than we should in life.

oh and josh is ok too;). it was so fun having josh because he was so excited and happy to be back there. he served his mission in the DR and you could feel his love for the place. everything we did and ate was a memory for him and we were just along for the ride.

and zach thoroughly enjoyed himself as well. for some smart reason (not smart) we decided to fly into the capitol (Santo Domingo) and then RENT A CAR and DRIVE the four hours to Punta Cana. Oh and zach is the only one over 25 so the only one able to rent and drive said car. and, my crap, the driving there is insane. i literally just had to close my eyes (and then fall asleep) because i was literally freaking out. sometimes i make decisions like not getting insurance on the rental (it was as much as we paid to rent the car!) but then i get serious anxiety because of my choices. luckily my husband is a good driver (and a better one than i give him credit for) and did a very good job. Oh, also, no one in the DR knows how to get to Punta Cana, like not even the right direction. So good luck with that. It was heaven sent that we found the place before the sun went down.

Anyways... the food. i die.
it was just soooo goooood!
(except the first day in the city....... it was good, dont get me wrong... it's just that it hit us ALL at the same TIME the next morning at 6am..... guys. we had two toilets but that was not enough. luckily we all lost 10 lbs so we were our ideal weight for the rest of trip. always the upside of getting everysinglething out of your system. all at once. and i mean everything. Im so sorry for telling you that).

Anyway. by 8am we were all set and skinny and ready to go for the day!

The trip was a time for relaxing, going on walks on the beach, exploring the towns and eating yogen fruz. it really was perfect. i love hanging out with my husband. and i love spending time with josh and ali. and i cant wait to do it again. i want to do this same trip every year. the perfect amount of doing whatever we wanted when we wanted which basically meant doing nothing at the most beautiful beach for the entire week.

See you next year DR.
but really.

OH. AND we saw Drew! Zach's little bro was in the MTC in the DR. We drove over to the mtc, honestly not planning on seeing him, but he just happened to be hanging out outside after lunch RIGHT when we drove up! It was so fun to see him. He's such a cutie.

here are some pics, just to give you an idea of how great the place is:

another adventure. because we're addicts.

we are off to the Domincan Republic tonight with Ali and Josh (our favorites) and i don't know if i've ever been more excited for a vacation... maybe it's the timing, or the company, or the PLACE... but nothin is ruining my day.

and also, i probably feel like this before every trip... but i guess that's a good thing to get just as excited for each and every one.

see you all soon! (you can follow us on instagram, to get way more updates. that's where we've been. sorry blog world).... is there anyone still there??

goals and stuff

it's not jan 1, but i have some end-of-february-on goals for 2013...

answer my phone when it rings. this is a big one. i never answer my phone. blow dry my hair at least once a month (ambitious, right?). have pizza and a movie night once a month (you can come if you want). temple, once a month with the husb (apparently i can only do monthly goals). make myself like running. go out to breakfast more. wear lipstick (even though i'm scared of lipstick and zach hates lipstick). listen to music more. make homemade cards. and make a new dessert once a week (but also go off sugar wants to be a goal as well.......).

these are just a few... i have more in my head that i dont want to put down because i havent finalized them in my head yet:)
yay for goals!

and here's a picture of me... because i'm wearing my favs scarf.

and here is a picture of my puppy guy.

bangkok/ LAST ONE ON THAILAND I PROMISE

Fruit. shopping. temples. people. fruit. shopping. temples.

and we enjoyed and loved it all. we did 2 days here in Bangkok, and it was the perfect amount of time.

oh and these pomegranates below? as good as they look.

and they made them into pomegranate juice which was EVEN BETTER.

we also did a canal tour. we rode through this canal lined by homes in bangkok. it was very interesting and fun to see. there is a floating market along the way. thailand is awesome, you guys.  i don't know why i don't have pics from this... but it's in the vid:)

coke light. mmm. so refreshing there.

favorite in Bangkok was the backpacking district. it was this cool little street with tons of fun shopping and places to eat. lights going across the streets, music and a hip, thai crowd and backpackers passing through. it was very cool. and we got some good buys at tis place. khao suong, was the street name, i think... something like that. i loved it here, in fact we came back both nights we spent bangkok.

ok guys, this is it. bye thailand posts! this is the last of you! i miss it already. but really. get me out of utah. this snow and weather is KILLING ME.

and also, if you get the chance, you've got to go to thailand. it was absolutely amazing. and like i've said over and over, unreal. i'd recommend this trip to anyone. and like i also said... everyone needs to go to thailand!

**again thanks for the pics zach/dave/jen/rob/everyone

chiang mai

Oh, the elephants. 

we spent a day out in the country in Chiang Mai with the elephants, and the family who raised them. it was amazing. they elephants were to them what frank is to us. they really do just treat them like their pets. it's actually really endearing. the elephants know these guys and are close to them, it's very cool. 

they were so large and amazing up close like that. they were like funny little kids, some of them. we learned a lot of elephant facts - i'm sure zach can tell you all of them sometime  if you're interested. i'd recommend this elephant adventure to anyone, it was one of the best parts of the trip. and i really liked the excursions.

we bathed the elephants in the river and then rode them into the water. they were so hilarious, frolicking in the water. they were like little kids. seriously rolling around in the water splashing water at us. it was so crazy. unreal. and so awesome.

you couldn't help but smile pretty much the entire time you were with those giant mammals. in some pics i feel like i've never seen zach so happy!

the next day in chiang mai we took a scooter ride out to this park where no.tourists.go.
seriously, only thai people for miles.
and oh my gosh wait til you hear what they were all at this park for. we are talking hundreds and hundreds.
to boil eggs! they all went out there to boil eggs in this hot spring, then put their feet into the  mineral water course.
they call it the "Drink & Egg" which, to me, is so funny in and of itself.
anyway, the eggs were delicious. they give you a little soy sauce to enjoy them with. and i quite enjoyed mine and zach's.
but then on our scooter ride home, it didn't sit so well. it's fine though. worth it.

then we scootered through one of their national parks. up and through the entire park until we reached the other side. on the other side was a small village where i swear they had never seen a white person in their life. we were just with sloth and cait at this point, and it was pretty awesome. the kids came to the window to see us ride by and wave to us, and the little village was very cool to see.

on the way home though it was dark.and.FREEZING.

we stopped about halfway - after riding through the canyon and on the freeway on the back of a scooter - to get anything that would cover our arms. short sleeves and a skirt was not cutting it and we were seriously freezing.

so we picked up some beautiful second-hand thai men's flannels and they were PERFECT. the thai people at the market were laughing at us as we walked out with our new gear on.

we took a thai cooking class while we were there as well. it was so fun! i have yet to make one of the dishes we learned, but i WILL one of these days. i know it doesn't sound like the funnest (not a word?) thing in the world, but honestly, i would tell anyone to make sure to do this while you're there. they just make it so fun and entertaining and very cool and so very delicious.
we went to the market and our guide lady showed us the ropes -  what to get and why and where.
then we went back and chose our meals we wanted to make and made them. then enjoyed, enjoyed, enjoyed.
and it was amazing. one of the best meals i had.
and you get a cooking book at the end... so i really am going to try them out on my own, you guys.
WHAT? I AM.

niners again. for the love. these two.

temples and shopping. one of the best things about Chiang Mai was the shopping. so many handmade, unique things to look at, buy, taste, enjoy. it was awesome. we need to go back just for the shopping! there are a few things i regret not buying already.

oh and the very best massage i got in all of thailand was here. i was wandering around one afternoon and ran into this little place. and boy. so glad i did! i will dream about that massage for years to come. best $10 spent (a little pricier than most - i almost didn't go for it. it's crazy how you start to think a $10 hour and a half massage is not a good deal when you're out there...).

and new years eve in Chiangmai was the best. no place i'd rather be. (and no alcohol was allowed in the town square...which was kind of nice). people were lighting off floating lanterns all over town, and especially in the town square. thousands went up all night long, along with fireworks. it was an amazing sight. and such a good memory to have. it really was just like Tangled, i'd never seen anything like it.

oh and the FOOD.. do i talk about food too much? there were food vendors LINING the streets. we tried it all, pretty much. it was so fun. a band and all.

chiang mai, you treated us well.
everyone needs to go to thailand!!!